Building an AR-10

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Is your goal to save money vs. buying a complete gun? Because as the market stands now, you can't do it. Less expensive to buy a complete gun than to try to pick up all the parts [& there are many req'd!] and assemble them on your own.

If your goal is to have the experience & maybe put together a higher quality barrel, trigger group, etc. into the rifle, well, then maybe it is worthwhile.

Just remember that there are 2 competing non-standard standards out there: the AR-10 [based upon the nouveau Armalite trademarked product] and the 308AR [based upon the DPMS & other competitors' "AR15A2 all growed up" build parameters.] The two versions aren't compatible with each other, and not all parts are even compatible between other competitors' versions of the same type.

Yeah, building your own can become quite a headache. If you're determined to go down that path tho', you'll want to build a 308AR: there's more pieces parts on offer for them out there, so the costs are lower.
 
308 ar's are much easier to build now than even a year ago. So many companies are making parts. Like Robert said stick to the dpms pattern. What ever company you buy your receiver from buy their lpk, as most have their own takedown and pivot pins, unless it is specifically marked that it uses all dpms lpk parts. Just make sure you buy quality parts made to the proper specs. Dpms and Cmmg lowers are made out of 6061 instead of 7075 like aero or psa and cost more. Also buy the upper and lower receivers from the same manufacturer as that is where most fitment issues come from. I just finished mine, I went with aero precision receivers and lpk, rainier arms barrel, and Midwest industries keymod handguard. Total without upgraded trigger is right about 1500 including shipping and ffl. I could have done it for less if i was more patient and would have shopped aroud more. Right now SR Armory has aero receiver sets for 255 and aero bcg's for 190. It has exactly what I want nothing I don't and the rainier barrel comes with a 1 moa guarantee. I don't know of a factory built rifle in that price range built to the same specs.
 
I'm not totally against buying a complete rifle but i just figured it would be fun to build one and learn about how it works.
.308 is what i want. What, in your opinion, are good sites to buy stuff from? And the only piece i need to worry about the ffl transfer is the receiver, correct?
 
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Is your goal to save money vs. buying a complete gun? Because as the market stands now, you can't do it. Less expensive to buy a complete gun than to try to pick up all the parts [& there are many req'd!] and assemble them on your own.
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You can order a $99 stripped lower and $599 16" rifle kit from PSA.

Show me where you can buy a complete .308 AR for $700.

Building will always be a little less, because the manufacturer does not pay the 11% FET on parts, only on complete firearms.
 
Cheaper than dirt, midway, rainier arms, sr armory, and aero precision are some good sites to get stuff. There are many many more. I had a psa. They are ok for what you pay. If you want something that will actually be an accurate worth while rifle then spend the money and buy good parts. I liked my psa but not 5" groups at 100yds. The lower is the only ffl part, everything else comes to you. It's not had to find CA compliant parts like bullet buttons. I took me less than an hour to assemble it. The takedown and pivot pin, mag catch and bolt catch are different on a 308 than an ar15 because of the bigger parts. All the other lower parts are exactly the same.
 
I want to get a pretty accurate rifle. I dont mind spending a little extra for quality parts, where should i start quality wise?
I appreciate all the help.
 
Rainier arms, mega maten, and aero make very good barrels right around the 300 dollar range. Cmmg and dpms are decent and cost a little less. If you want good receivers at a good price go with psa or aero. Just buy both from one company. The best thing is to hunt around on the Internet and find the best prices. I paid 340 for my aero receiver set right now you can get them for 255 from sr armory. I got my handgaurd for 30 dollars off by catching it on sale at midway.
 
Wait on deals from PSA. Last weekend you could buy a complete lower and 16" upper for $640 or an 18" upper for $690. I don't think it gets much cheaper than that. The PSA's I've seen will shoot 1-1.5" with good ammo.
 
Not a fan of dpms, cmmg, or any other lower that is made from 6 series aluminum instead of 7 series, especially for more money. Psa or aero both 7 series for around 300 for a stripped set. For around 500 you can get a nice billet set from mega, rainier, or cmt. The a2 stock package on that dpms lower is 90 dollars. Add the lpk from whoever you get the receiver and you could have a complete lower of better quality plus an upper for the same price.
To give you an idea of a pretty decent 308 at a good price
Aero upper, lower and lpk 430 (if bought on sale 345)
A2 stock package (buffer, spring, and tube)90
Cmmg stainless barrel 200
Aero bcg 190
Handguard 200 (varies by what you actually go with)
Gas block and tube 50
Bcm charging handle 56
A2 flash hider 15
 
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Then they changed. Still is high just for the complete lower. You can get a dpms g2 for right around 1100. They're built of a new design that is smaller. The new g2 are not compatable with the old gen 1's. You can get a gen 1 oracle for right around 1000 dollars complete. You could buy a psa complete lower for 300 and build an upper with psa receiver. Not trying to be negative on your choice, but if you bought that lower and a dpms upper off a website you'll be as much or more than you buy complete or could build a custom rifle.
 
Midway has a bunch of dpms complete uppers. The cheapest one is just over 600 dollars for the most basic features. So with the lower you were looking at I a little over 1100 dollars. If you want to add a real handguard instead of the plastic or a decent trigger that's going to add to the price.
 
If your going to do a lr308 on a tight budget, my advice is just buy a built gun already and modify it as you would like. If Money is no issue and you don't care how long it takes to build then yes by all means build one, but do tons and tons of research. If you want an amazing lr308 I can tell you right now your going to have nearly 3k, on the low side, in it with glass included. Could you build it cheaper, ya. But when you build something like that most likely your going to build it to stand out from a factory gun so then price starts going up in the build. Which is why I say if budget- get a factory rifle then modify, it'll go faster and you'll be at nearly the same price as if your building a budget one. I'm just trying to let you know the money your looking at before you dive in.
 
My plan is to build one with a PSA PA10 lower and rifle kit. The lower I have just ordered for $129 + $20 transfer fee. I will pick up the rifle kit in a few weeks. Right now those kits are running $599 for an 18" mid length with a stainless barrel. Add a couple Magpul magazines and flip up sights and this will be all under $1k. Yeah, there are better build options but I doubt they're under a grand. I'll wait until I can afford to get a decent scope to round it all out. I will be greatly disappointed if it turns out to be a 5 MOA rifle like another poster alluded to and I highly doubt that will be the case.
 
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